What to do if you are attacked

With the latest Crime stats just being released and contact crime is UP . What do we do if this event arises.

Please see the guidelines below , this is not meant as an exact protection , but will give you a better idea of how to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Five steps to being prepared:

1. Understand that your only goal is survival. The only thing you should be concerned with during any kind of attack, is the survival and well being of you and/or your loved ones. If you accomplish this, then you were smart and handled the situation well.

2. Know your abilities and limitations. Be realistic about what you will and will not be able to do during an attack. For example, if you have not studied martial arts extensively, don’t think that you are going to use some “karate moves” on your attacker. Television and the movies are not real life!

3. Learn to recognize the two types of situations, that we are looking atAttacker wants property Attacker wants control

4. Develop a plan for how you will handle each of these situations ahead of time. Don’t try to figure it out when the situation arises. Prepare NOW. 5. Practice your plan well ahead of time. If you practice enough ahead of time, your mind will automatically know what to do if the need arises.

This type of attacker plans poorly and is generally very jumpy and nervous. They are most often inexperienced at committing a robbery and tend to overreact. Follow these guidelines when dealing with an attacker who wants your money, valuables or belongings:

It’s not easy, but try to appear calm. The more nervous you seem, the more nervous the attacker will be.

Move very slowly and deliberately. Any quick or unexpected movement on your part is likely to elicit a quick and potentially violent response from the attacker.

Verbally reassure the attacker to help keep him calm. In as calm a voice as you can manage, tell the attacker exactly what you are doing step-by-step as you do it. For example “OK, I’m taking out my wallet and placing it on the hood of the car. Now I’m going to back away so you can pick it up.”

Give the attacker the property he is after. Remember, the only goal is survival and no property is worth the life of yourself or a loved one. If possible, try not to hand the property to the attacker directly. The close proximity can make an already nervous attacker even more nervous. Set the property down and slowly back away so the attacker can pick it up.

At this point, you may attempt to negotiate, but only if called for. For example: “OK, you can have the car. And I”ll tell you what; if you please let me get my kids out of the back seat before you take the car, I’ll toss my purse on the front seat and give you the PIN number for my bank cards.”

If, while you are shopping, an attacker decides he wants your car, he may put paper or some other item on the windshield or back window of your vehicle while you are in the store. When you return, you will most likely enter and start your car, notice the object on your window, then step out of the car to remove it. At this time, you are vulnerable, the keys are in the car, the doors are unlocked, and the engine is running. Everything the attacker wants! Be careful not to fall for this trick. Carefully move the car to a different location with plenty of other people around before getting out to remove the paper or whatever item has been placed on the car.

Also be extra careful if there is a van, SUV, or other large vehicle parked next to yours. Large vehicles block other people from seeing an attack, and a large vehicle is easier to force you into.

This type of attacker generally seeks specific types of targets; usually people who appear to lack confidence or who appear fearful. The attacker is looking for someone who is easy to approach and control. Control attackers are generally very aware of their surroundings and have usually already planned an escape route for themselves. Most often, the attacker is someone who knows who you are. It may be someone you know well, or someone you met very briefly. You may not even remember them, but they remember you. This type of attacker uses fear, intimidation and physical assault to control his victim. When dealing with a control attacker, follow these guidelines:

Always be aware of your surroundings. This may help you spot trouble before it even happens. Walk/move deliberately and confidently so you don’t look like an easy target. Keep your head up, shoulders back and continuously glance around at your surroundings. If you are already uneasy about a situation, have any weapon you may possess already in your hand–don’t wait until you need it. Pepper spray provides a severe, physical reaction and is the best choice.

Please don’t think that a cell phone will keep you safe! Even if you happened to be on the phone with the police at the time of the attack, how long would it take the police to get there? Three minutes…five minutes…fifteen minutes? How long does it take to stab you, shoot you, or crack your skull? A few seconds? Besides, it is generally quite easy for an attacker to forcibly remove the phone from your hands when the attack starts. You talking on a cell phone might convince the attacker to look for an easier target, but it might not. A woman thinking her cell phone offers her protection from an attack is just giving herself a false sense of security which could make her careless and more of a target. Don’t forget that a control attacker is often someone who knows who you are and has specifically chosen you to be his victim–a cell phone cannot be counted on to stop him. Bottom line: a cell phone is NOTprotection from a control attacker!

If possible, change your routine, destination or direction to avoid a potential attacker. Doing the exact same thing at the exact same time on a regular basis makes it too easy to plan an attack against you.

If the attacker can’t be avoided, then take charge yourself. Do something totally unexpected to disrupt the attacker’s plans. Remember, the control attacker generally has a well-laid-out plan. If his plan is disrupted, he might fear that he is going to lose control of the situation and so choose to break off the attack. The sooner you can interrupt the attacker’s plans, the better chance you have of him giving up on you. Don’t be afraid to do something totally crazy; in fact, the more bizarre your behavior, the better chance it has of working. Some example are: laughing as loudly as you can, acting like some kind of animal, throwing your belongings all over the place, throwing your purse/backpack through the glass of a nearby window, urinate, defecate, vomit, anything crazy you can manage to do.

When faced with a control attacker, look directly at him, but do not maintain a stare into his eyes since the attacker may see this as a challenge.

Resist the attacker. If you submit, you are just making it easier for him to control you. Never get into a vehicle voluntarily. As soon as you do, you have pretty much given the attacker complete control of what happens to you. You are generally better off risking being shot at or stabbed than to get into a vehicle with an attacker. You might think you will get into the vehicle for now and find a way to escape the attacker later, but statistically, you will be unable to get away later. If you choose to resist by physically fighting back, then make sure your attack will momentarily blind or disable your attacker giving you a chance to escape. An attack that does not give you a moment to escape only serves to anger the attacker and further aggravate the situation. If you can’t temporarily blind or disable your attacker, then physically fighting back may not be the best option for you unless you have tried everything else and have no other choice. A failed physical attack might be seen as a challenge to the attacker. Ways to blind/disable might include: pepper spray, a very hard strike to the nose which causes pain and a few seconds of blindness, poking or gouging the eyes, a strong kick to the knee, stomping on the instep to break a bone in his foot. DO NOT attempt a kick or punch to the groin. Unless you have considerable self defense training, the testicles can be a difficult target to hit effectively in an attack situation and men are generally very adept at protecting that part of their bodies.

Whatever physical attack you decide to use, hit very hard with everything you can muster on your very first try. Humans tend to hold back on their first strike to sort of “test the water” for a response from the opponent. Hitting hard on your first attempt adds one more unexpected element to your attacker’s plans, and may even give him the impression that you were holding back and the next hit will be even harder. Don’t forget that if you are behind the wheel of a car when accosted, a car makes a very effective weapon. If your life is in danger, don’t be afraid to use that weapon.

If you have children with you, tell them to run. Teach them this response ahead of time as well as how to find help once they have escaped the situation.

If the attacker is someone you know, or he knows you are able to identify him, the risk to your own life and safety goes up considerably. In these cases, apply all of the techniques you have learned, and fight back with everything you’ve got!

In this, or any other kind of attack, do not yell “help,” “rape,” or anything along these lines. Yelling these things actually has the effect of driving help away from you. People don’t want to get hurt or get involved so they are more likely to avoid you than to assist you. Instead, yell ‘fire’ which arouses curiosity and actually brings people toward you since many people would want to see the fire.